{"id":1886008,"date":"2026-04-16T10:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1886008"},"modified":"2026-04-16T10:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:00:11","slug":"talking-art-with-rama-duwaji","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1886008","title":{"rendered":"Talking Art With Rama Duwaji"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><main class=\"gh-main\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"gh-article post tag-daily-newsletter tag-newsletter no-image\">\n<header class=\"gh-article-header gh-canvas\">\n<p>                Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"gh-article-title is-title\">Talking Art With Rama Duwaji<\/h1>\n<p class=\"gh-article-excerpt is-body\">The artist and NYC first lady sits for an exclusive interview with our editor-in-chief. Plus: Who\u2019s behind the posters calling to boycott the Met Gala?<\/p>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta\">\n<div class=\"gh-article-author-image instapaper_ignore\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-profile-image\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/size\/w160\/2025\/11\/hyperallergic-favicon-d-blank-r-g-s-500.png\" alt=\"Hyperallergic\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta-wrapper\">\n<h4 class=\"gh-article-author-name\">Hyperallergic<\/h4>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta-content\"><time class=\"gh-article-meta-date\" datetime=\"2026-04-16\">April 16, 2026<\/time><span class=\"gh-article-meta-length\"><span class=\"bull\">\u2014<\/span> 4 min read<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"gh-content gh-canvas is-body\">\n<p>On a damp New York Citymorning last week, I visited Gracie Mansion for an exclusive interview with artist and First Lady Rama Duwaji in her studio. We talked about her art practice and political life while surrounded by her drawings and ceramics. I hope you enjoy reading this interview, through which I learned moreabout Duwaji&#8217;s life story and got a better sense of who she is as a person and an artist.<\/p>\n<p>Also in New York: Who&#8217;sbehind the guerrillaposters across the city calling for a boycott ofthe Jeff Bezos-sponsored Met Gala?<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/Rama-Duwaji-04152026-Newsletter.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>Artist Rama Duwaji in her studio in New York (photo Dahlia Dandashi)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"in-the-studio-with-rama-duwaji\">In the Studio With Rama Duwaji<\/h3>\n<p>Surrounded by her drawings and ceramics, we discussed her evolving art practice and new life as NYC first lady. | Hakim Bishara<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/bennet-prize.jpg\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"14173x7441\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>The Bennett Prize Opens Fifth Call for Entries<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Women figurative realist painters can enter to win $75,000 and a traveling solo exhibition. Applications are open through September 19.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"news\">News<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/bezoz-gala-newsletter-1.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1867\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>A poster spotted in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (photo <\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">Hyperallergic<\/em><\/i><span>)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cBoycott the Bezos Met Gala\u201d <strong>posters emerge across NYC<\/strong> to protest the sponsors of this year\u2019s event, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanch\u00e9z, targeting Amazon\u2019s alleged worker exploitation and links to ICE.<\/li>\n<li>The Georgia O\u2019Keeffe Museum <strong>launched a digital catalogue raisonn\u00e9<\/strong>. Anyone can now browse through over 2,000 works by the artist, including paintings, handwritten letters, and early sketches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/Sore-Throat--2023---Detail--by-Bugarin---Castle.-Film.-Courtesy-the-artists-1.png\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"1920x1080\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>CONDUCTOR Is New York\u2019s First Art Fair Committed to the Global Majority<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>From April 30 to May 3, discover 27 galleries and 17 special projects spotlighting artists from across the world at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"in-memoriam\">In Memoriam<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/in-memorium-1.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1867\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>Pearl Fryar (photo Jonathan Newton \/ <\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">The Washington Post<\/em><\/i><span> via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"remembering-pearl-fryar-siri-aurdal-and-frank-stack\">Remembering Pearl Fryar, Siri Aurdal, and Frank Stack<\/h3>\n<p>This week, we honor a self-taught topiary artist, a mainstay of \u201960s Scandinavian art, and author of what may be the first underground comic. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"books\">Books<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/Untitled-7-1.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1867\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>\u201cHome in Hydra, November 1970, Algiers\u201d from Kathleen Cleaver\u2019s family album (\u00a9 Kathleen Neal Cleaver Archive; photo John Stephens, courtesy Kathleen Neal Cleaver Archive)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"inside-a-black-panther-family-album\">Inside a Black Panther Family Album<\/h3>\n<p>Kathleen and Eldridge Cleaver\u2019s family album depicts aspirational homemaking in diaspora, capturing the tension between rest and motion as they navigated exile with their children. | Leigh Raiford<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-grey kg-cta-minimal    \" data-layout=\"minimal\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>Featured opportunity<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>Tulsa Artist Fellowship<\/strong><\/b><br \/><span>Tulsa Artist Fellowship offers three years of funding, housing, and studio space to create meaningful work in Tulsa\u2019s vibrant arts community. Applications open April 7, 2026.<\/span><br \/><span>Deadline: May 7, 2026, at 6pm (CT) | <\/span><u><span class=\"underline\">tulsaartistfellowship.org<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>See more in <u>this month\u2019s list of opportunities<\/u> for artists, writers, and art workers!<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"member-comment\">Member Comment<\/h2>\n<p>Holly Wong on Paddy Johnson \u201cArt Problems: Do I Need to Go to Art Fairs?&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-yellow\">\n<div class=\"kg-callout-text\">I love this statement &#8220;The real value of art fairs isn\u2019t networking \u2014 it\u2019s information. Knowledge of the scene helps you make better decisions and expands your social currency.&#8221; I appreciate the adjustment in thinking here that I am going for information. It lowers the stakes and allows me to be in learning mode and to be receptive to what is around me vs. focusing on what is lacking in my own career or &#8220;climbing.&#8221; Point very well taken not to spend tons of money on the expensive fairs but to focus on more satellite fairs where I can make connections that are more realistic for me and see work relevant to my practice.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"from-the-archive\">From the Archive<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/archive-post-newsletter.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>Blair Stapp, \u201cHuey Newton, Black Panther Minister of Defense\u201d (1968), lithographic ink on paper with linen backing (image public domain via\u00a0the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"tracing-the-peacock-chair%E2%80%99s-history-from-manila-to-nashville\">Tracing the Peacock Chair\u2019s History From Manila to Nashville<\/h3>\n<p>A complex web of stories encourages us to reimagine the political weight of an unassuming remnant of craft tradition, born of incarcerated labor in the Philippines. | alejandro t. acierto<\/p>\n<ul class=\"post-tags\">\n<li>\n                        Daily Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<li>\n                        Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/main><\/p>\n<article class=\"gh-article post tag-daily-newsletter tag-newsletter no-image\">\n<header class=\"gh-article-header gh-canvas\">\n<p>                Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"gh-article-title is-title\">Talking Art With Rama Duwaji<\/h1>\n<p class=\"gh-article-excerpt is-body\">The artist and NYC first lady sits for an exclusive interview with our editor-in-chief. Plus: Who\u2019s behind the posters calling to boycott the Met Gala?<\/p>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta\">\n<div class=\"gh-article-author-image instapaper_ignore\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-profile-image\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/size\/w160\/2025\/11\/hyperallergic-favicon-d-blank-r-g-s-500.png\" alt=\"Hyperallergic\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta-wrapper\">\n<h4 class=\"gh-article-author-name\">Hyperallergic<\/h4>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta-content\"><time class=\"gh-article-meta-date\" datetime=\"2026-04-16\">April 16, 2026<\/time><span class=\"gh-article-meta-length\"><span class=\"bull\">\u2014<\/span> 4 min read<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"gh-content gh-canvas is-body\">\n<p>On a damp New York Citymorning last week, I visited Gracie Mansion for an exclusive interview with artist and First Lady Rama Duwaji in her studio. We talked about her art practice and political life while surrounded by her drawings and ceramics. I hope you enjoy reading this interview, through which I learned moreabout Duwaji&#8217;s life story and got a better sense of who she is as a person and an artist.<\/p>\n<p>Also in New York: Who&#8217;sbehind the guerrillaposters across the city calling for a boycott ofthe Jeff Bezos-sponsored Met Gala?<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/Rama-Duwaji-04152026-Newsletter.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>Artist Rama Duwaji in her studio in New York (photo Dahlia Dandashi)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"in-the-studio-with-rama-duwaji\">In the Studio With Rama Duwaji<\/h3>\n<p>Surrounded by her drawings and ceramics, we discussed her evolving art practice and new life as NYC first lady. | Hakim Bishara<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/bennet-prize.jpg\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"14173x7441\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>The Bennett Prize Opens Fifth Call for Entries<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Women figurative realist painters can enter to win $75,000 and a traveling solo exhibition. Applications are open through September 19.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"news\">News<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/bezoz-gala-newsletter-1.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1867\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>A poster spotted in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (photo <\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">Hyperallergic<\/em><\/i><span>)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cBoycott the Bezos Met Gala\u201d <strong>posters emerge across NYC<\/strong> to protest the sponsors of this year\u2019s event, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanch\u00e9z, targeting Amazon\u2019s alleged worker exploitation and links to ICE.<\/li>\n<li>The Georgia O\u2019Keeffe Museum <strong>launched a digital catalogue raisonn\u00e9<\/strong>. Anyone can now browse through over 2,000 works by the artist, including paintings, handwritten letters, and early sketches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/Sore-Throat--2023---Detail--by-Bugarin---Castle.-Film.-Courtesy-the-artists-1.png\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"1920x1080\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>CONDUCTOR Is New York\u2019s First Art Fair Committed to the Global Majority<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>From April 30 to May 3, discover 27 galleries and 17 special projects spotlighting artists from across the world at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"in-memoriam\">In Memoriam<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/in-memorium-1.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1867\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>Pearl Fryar (photo Jonathan Newton \/ <\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">The Washington Post<\/em><\/i><span> via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"remembering-pearl-fryar-siri-aurdal-and-frank-stack\">Remembering Pearl Fryar, Siri Aurdal, and Frank Stack<\/h3>\n<p>This week, we honor a self-taught topiary artist, a mainstay of \u201960s Scandinavian art, and author of what may be the first underground comic. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"books\">Books<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/Untitled-7-1.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1867\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>\u201cHome in Hydra, November 1970, Algiers\u201d from Kathleen Cleaver\u2019s family album (\u00a9 Kathleen Neal Cleaver Archive; photo John Stephens, courtesy Kathleen Neal Cleaver Archive)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"inside-a-black-panther-family-album\">Inside a Black Panther Family Album<\/h3>\n<p>Kathleen and Eldridge Cleaver\u2019s family album depicts aspirational homemaking in diaspora, capturing the tension between rest and motion as they navigated exile with their children. | Leigh Raiford<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-grey kg-cta-minimal    \" data-layout=\"minimal\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>Featured opportunity<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>Tulsa Artist Fellowship<\/strong><\/b><br \/><span>Tulsa Artist Fellowship offers three years of funding, housing, and studio space to create meaningful work in Tulsa\u2019s vibrant arts community. Applications open April 7, 2026.<\/span><br \/><span>Deadline: May 7, 2026, at 6pm (CT) | <\/span><u><span class=\"underline\">tulsaartistfellowship.org<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>See more in <u>this month\u2019s list of opportunities<\/u> for artists, writers, and art workers!<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"member-comment\">Member Comment<\/h2>\n<p>Holly Wong on Paddy Johnson \u201cArt Problems: Do I Need to Go to Art Fairs?&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-yellow\">\n<div class=\"kg-callout-text\">I love this statement &#8220;The real value of art fairs isn\u2019t networking \u2014 it\u2019s information. Knowledge of the scene helps you make better decisions and expands your social currency.&#8221; I appreciate the adjustment in thinking here that I am going for information. It lowers the stakes and allows me to be in learning mode and to be receptive to what is around me vs. focusing on what is lacking in my own career or &#8220;climbing.&#8221; Point very well taken not to spend tons of money on the expensive fairs but to focus on more satellite fairs where I can make connections that are more realistic for me and see work relevant to my practice.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"from-the-archive\">From the Archive<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/archive-post-newsletter.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>Blair Stapp, \u201cHuey Newton, Black Panther Minister of Defense\u201d (1968), lithographic ink on paper with linen backing (image public domain via\u00a0the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"tracing-the-peacock-chair%E2%80%99s-history-from-manila-to-nashville\">Tracing the Peacock Chair\u2019s History From Manila to Nashville<\/h3>\n<p>A complex web of stories encourages us to reimagine the political weight of an unassuming remnant of craft tradition, born of incarcerated labor in the Philippines. | alejandro t. acierto<\/p>\n<ul class=\"post-tags\">\n<li>\n                        Daily Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<li>\n                        Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<section class=\"gh-content gh-canvas is-body\">\n<p>On a damp New York Citymorning last week, I visited Gracie Mansion for an exclusive interview with artist and First Lady Rama Duwaji in her studio. We talked about her art practice and political life while surrounded by her drawings and ceramics. I hope you enjoy reading this interview, through which I learned moreabout Duwaji&#8217;s life story and got a better sense of who she is as a person and an artist.<\/p>\n<p>Also in New York: Who&#8217;sbehind the guerrillaposters across the city calling for a boycott ofthe Jeff Bezos-sponsored Met Gala?<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/Rama-Duwaji-04152026-Newsletter.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>Artist Rama Duwaji in her studio in New York (photo Dahlia Dandashi)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"in-the-studio-with-rama-duwaji\">In the Studio With Rama Duwaji<\/h3>\n<p>Surrounded by her drawings and ceramics, we discussed her evolving art practice and new life as NYC first lady. | Hakim Bishara<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/bennet-prize.jpg\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"14173x7441\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>The Bennett Prize Opens Fifth Call for Entries<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Women figurative realist painters can enter to win $75,000 and a traveling solo exhibition. Applications are open through September 19.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"news\">News<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/bezoz-gala-newsletter-1.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1867\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>A poster spotted in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (photo <\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">Hyperallergic<\/em><\/i><span>)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cBoycott the Bezos Met Gala\u201d <strong>posters emerge across NYC<\/strong> to protest the sponsors of this year\u2019s event, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanch\u00e9z, targeting Amazon\u2019s alleged worker exploitation and links to ICE.<\/li>\n<li>The Georgia O\u2019Keeffe Museum <strong>launched a digital catalogue raisonn\u00e9<\/strong>. Anyone can now browse through over 2,000 works by the artist, including paintings, handwritten letters, and early sketches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/Sore-Throat--2023---Detail--by-Bugarin---Castle.-Film.-Courtesy-the-artists-1.png\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"1920x1080\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>CONDUCTOR Is New York\u2019s First Art Fair Committed to the Global Majority<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>From April 30 to May 3, discover 27 galleries and 17 special projects spotlighting artists from across the world at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"in-memoriam\">In Memoriam<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/in-memorium-1.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1867\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>Pearl Fryar (photo Jonathan Newton \/ <\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">The Washington Post<\/em><\/i><span> via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"remembering-pearl-fryar-siri-aurdal-and-frank-stack\">Remembering Pearl Fryar, Siri Aurdal, and Frank Stack<\/h3>\n<p>This week, we honor a self-taught topiary artist, a mainstay of \u201960s Scandinavian art, and author of what may be the first underground comic. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"books\">Books<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/Untitled-7-1.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1867\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>\u201cHome in Hydra, November 1970, Algiers\u201d from Kathleen Cleaver\u2019s family album (\u00a9 Kathleen Neal Cleaver Archive; photo John Stephens, courtesy Kathleen Neal Cleaver Archive)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"inside-a-black-panther-family-album\">Inside a Black Panther Family Album<\/h3>\n<p>Kathleen and Eldridge Cleaver\u2019s family album depicts aspirational homemaking in diaspora, capturing the tension between rest and motion as they navigated exile with their children. | Leigh Raiford<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-grey kg-cta-minimal    \" data-layout=\"minimal\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>Featured opportunity<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>Tulsa Artist Fellowship<\/strong><\/b><br \/><span>Tulsa Artist Fellowship offers three years of funding, housing, and studio space to create meaningful work in Tulsa\u2019s vibrant arts community. Applications open April 7, 2026.<\/span><br \/><span>Deadline: May 7, 2026, at 6pm (CT) | <\/span><u><span class=\"underline\">tulsaartistfellowship.org<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>See more in <u>this month\u2019s list of opportunities<\/u> for artists, writers, and art workers!<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"member-comment\">Member Comment<\/h2>\n<p>Holly Wong on Paddy Johnson \u201cArt Problems: Do I Need to Go to Art Fairs?&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-yellow\">\n<div class=\"kg-callout-text\">I love this statement &#8220;The real value of art fairs isn\u2019t networking \u2014 it\u2019s information. Knowledge of the scene helps you make better decisions and expands your social currency.&#8221; I appreciate the adjustment in thinking here that I am going for information. It lowers the stakes and allows me to be in learning mode and to be receptive to what is around me vs. focusing on what is lacking in my own career or &#8220;climbing.&#8221; Point very well taken not to spend tons of money on the expensive fairs but to focus on more satellite fairs where I can make connections that are more realistic for me and see work relevant to my practice.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"from-the-archive\">From the Archive<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/2026\/04\/archive-post-newsletter.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1050\"><figcaption><span>Blair Stapp, \u201cHuey Newton, Black Panther Minister of Defense\u201d (1968), lithographic ink on paper with linen backing (image public domain via\u00a0the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"tracing-the-peacock-chair%E2%80%99s-history-from-manila-to-nashville\">Tracing the Peacock Chair\u2019s History From Manila to Nashville<\/h3>\n<p>A complex web of stories encourages us to reimagine the political weight of an unassuming remnant of craft tradition, born of incarcerated labor in the Philippines. | alejandro t. acierto<\/p>\n<ul class=\"post-tags\">\n<li>\n                        Daily Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<li>\n                        Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<article class=\"gh-card post\">\n<figure class=\"gh-card-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/size\/w600\/2026\/04\/On-the-Beach-2023.37.1_pt-0817.jpg\" alt=\"The Marsden Hartley Legacy Project Launches Online\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gh-card-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"gh-card-title is-title\">The Marsden Hartley Legacy Project Launches Online<\/h3>\n<p class=\"gh-card-excerpt is-body\">The first comprehensive catalogue of artworks by acclaimed modernist painter Marsden Hartley is now freely available on the internet.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"gh-card-meta\"><span class=\"gh-card-author\">Bates College Museum of Art<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"gh-card post\">\n<figure class=\"gh-card-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/size\/w600\/2026\/04\/AlighieroBoettiTuttoc.1988.Embroideryonfabric291_2x48in.-72.4x121.9cm-.CourtesyofMagazzinoItalianArt.PhotobyMarcoAnelli.jpg\" alt=\"Tutto Boetti 1966\u20131993\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gh-card-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"gh-card-title is-title\">Tutto Boetti 1966\u20131993<\/h3>\n<p class=\"gh-card-excerpt is-body\">An exhibition of works by Alighiero Boetti at Magazzino Italian Art.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"gh-card-meta\"><span class=\"gh-card-author\">Magazzino Italian Art<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"gh-card post\">\n<figure class=\"gh-card-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/size\/w600\/2026\/04\/Untitled-6.jpg\" alt=\"The Bennett Prize Opens Fifth Call for Entries\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gh-card-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"gh-card-title is-title\">The Bennett Prize Opens Fifth Call for Entries<\/h3>\n<p class=\"gh-card-excerpt is-body\">Women figurative realist painters can enter to win $75,000 and a traveling solo exhibition. Applications are open through September 19. <\/p>\n<footer class=\"gh-card-meta\"><span class=\"gh-card-author\">The Bennett Prize<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"gh-card post\">\n<figure class=\"gh-card-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/51\/f8\/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a\/content\/images\/size\/w600\/2026\/04\/1_Blank-and-Cold-Coffee-Corner.jpg\" alt=\"In Kyoung Chun: Make Room\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gh-card-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"gh-card-title is-title\">In Kyoung Chun: Make Room<\/h3>\n<p class=\"gh-card-excerpt is-body\">Transparent houses, suspended structures, and intimate paintings serve as metaphors for belonging in this exhibition at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"gh-card-meta\"><span class=\"gh-card-author\">The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/talking-art-with-rama-duwaji\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;&#8221;] Daily Newsletter Talking Art With Rama Duwaji The artist and NYC first lady sits for an exclusive interview with our editor-in-chief. Plus: Who\u2019s behind the posters calling to boycott the Met Gala? Hyperallergic April 16, 2026\u2014 4 min read On a damp New York Citymorning last week, I visited Gracie Mansion for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,69],"class_list":["post-1886008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-hyperallergic-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1886008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1886008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1886008\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1886008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1886008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1886008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}